Tour Report - Navadvipa: November 11 - 16th 2006

After completing this year's
Vraja Mandala parikrama, Srila Narayana Maharaja remained for a few days
in Govardhana. On November 7th he went to Delhi for a two-day
program. Then, on November 10th he traveled to Calcutta where
he stayed at the Srila Vamana Gosvami Gaudiya Matha for one night. Early
the next morning he continued on to Sri Navadvipa Dhama, where he stayed
for five days to oversee the construction of his new temple, Sri
Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha.

In the late afternoon of
November 11th Srila Maharaja visited the building site and
was guided around by the brahmacaris in charge of the construction work.

Looking
at the ongoing construction of Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Math in Navadvipa.

Talking
to the brahmacaris in charge of the construction.

The next morning Srila Maharaja
met with the architect.

Reviewing the construction plans.

In the late afternoon of
November 12th about fifty, mostly local, devotees gathered
for Srila Narayana Maharaja's evening visit to the building site. Srila
Maharaja then sat down on the vyasasana and gave a short class in
Bengali on the verse,

nr-deham adyam sulabham
sudurlabham

plavam sukalpam guru-karnadharam

mayanukulena nabhasvateritam

puman bhavabdhim na taret sa
atma-ha

["The human body, which can
award all benefit in life, is automatically obtained by the laws of
nature, although it is a very rare achievement. This human body can be
compared to a perfectly constructed boat having the spiritual master as
the captain and the instructions of the Personality of Godhead as
favorable winds impelling it on its course. Considering all these
advantages, a human being who does not utilize his human life to cross
the ocean of material existence must be considered the killer of his own
soul. "(Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.20.17)]

Srila Maharaja stressed how rare
it is to attain this human form of life and begged all not to waste this
golden opportunity. He said that in this verse the human body is
compared to a boat by which one can easily cross the ocean of material
existence. Sri Guru acts as the helmsman of the boat and the
instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are the favorable
winds. These winds can come in various forms. The scriptures or sastra
are one form, but the best is the powerful wind of sadhu-sanga.
Sadhu-sanga means to hear harikatha from Sri Guru and Vaisnavas, to
follow their instructions, and above all, to serve them.

Giving
class.

The next morning Srila Maharaja
again gave class, this time reiterating many points from the Madhurya
Kadambini classes he had given during the month of Kartika. He clearly
explained the three points which lead to the conclusion that bhakti
manifests in the heart of a devotee only by the mercy of a
madhyama-adhikari (an uttama-adhikari in the role of a madhyama-adhikari,
or at least a madhyama-uttama [a madhyama-adhikari on the platform of
bhava-bhakti]). It is the madhyama-adhikari's nature to act
appropriately with God, with the pure devotee, with the neophyte, with
the innocent and with the envious. He loves and worships God, he serves
and honors pure devotees according to their level of advancement, he
shares with those on his level, he shows mercy to the innocent and he
avoids those who are against bhakti and devotees. So it is his nature to
give mercy  bhakti.

The three points: One, bhakti
never manifests due to subha-karma, material pious activities, or any
other karma. If this was the case it would mean that bhakti is
controlled by karma and this is not so. Two, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is also not the bestower of bhakti. If He would bestow bhakti on
some and not on others, the fault of partiality would be there. The
Supreme Lord is equally disposed to all, and therefore the conclusion is
that bhakti will not arise simply by His mercy. Three, an
uttama-adhikari sees everyone on the same platform as himself, and he is
equal to all. Therefore by the mercy of an uttama-adhikari (an associate
of Krsna who is not in the role of a madhyama-adhikari, bhakti is not
possible. The conclusion is that one can attain bhakti only by the mercy
of a madhyama-adhikari.

On the morning of November 16th,
Srila Maharaja returned to the Srila Vamana Gosvami Gaudiya Matha in
Calcutta. There he rested for two days before traveling to Hawaii on
November 18th. He will stay in Hawaii for three months,
focusing mainly on writing his translation of Srimad-Bhagavatam and
Rasa-pancadhyaya.

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